Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens.

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons,, 1906. The first appearance of Peter Pan in the title of a book First Rackham edition, first US printing. Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens was the most popular Christmas gift book for 1906 and was highly successful commercially. The story of Peter Pan had its genesis in Barrie's 1902 novel The Little White Bird, in which the central chapters tell of a child "who escaped from being a human when he was seven days old... and flew back to Kensington Gardens". Barrie developed this story into a play (first performed in 1904, but not published until 1928), this book of 1906 (the first to appear with the name of the character in the title) and, finally, the novel Peter and Wendy which was published in 1911. As noted by Fred Gettings, the "publication and quality" of Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens "was a sure sign that Rackham had arrived, and was now to remain as one of the leading illustrators in a wide field of book titles". The Pittsburgh Post noted, on 17 September 1906, that "October will see the publication by the Scribners of Barrie's... Peter Pan... Arthur Rackham has prepared the colored pictures for the book". It appears, therefore, that UK and US editions had a similar publication date. On 5 October 1906, The Times Literary Supplement reported the announcement of publication from the English publishers and a review appeared in that paper on 14 December 1906. Quarto. Original green cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt, decoration on front cover in gilt, brown endpapers. Colour frontispiece and 49 coloured plates mounted on brown paper, with captioned tissue guards, black and white illustrations in the text, all by Arthur Rackham. Extremities a little rubbed and bumped, small holes to front joint, some light soiling, occasional light finger-soiling: a very good copy. Fred Gettings, Arthur Rackham, London, Studio Vista, 1975, p. 112; Riall p. 74; The Pittsburgh Post, 17 September 1906, p. 6; Times Literary Supplement, 5 October 1906, p. 338; Times Literary Supplement, 14 December 1906, p. 418.